Edmund henry gigney



(No Model.)

B. H. GIGNEY. TRANSPOSING MECHANISM FOR PIANOFORTBS. N0. 604,144.Patented May 17,1898.

UNITED STATES PATENT ()EEicE.

EDMUND HENRY GIGNEY, OF LONDON, ENGLAND.

TRANSPQSING MECHANISM FOR PIANOFORTES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N 0. 604,144, dated May 17,1898.

Application filed March 14, 1898.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, EDMUND HENRY GIG- NEY, a subject of the Queen ofGreat Britain and Ireland, residing at London, England, have invented acertain new and useful Transposing Mechanism for Pianofortes and otherKeyboard Instruments; and I do hereby declare the following to be afull, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enableothers skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use thesame, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to lettersof reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

The object of my invention is to provide simple and effective mechanismfor transposing the notes of a pianoforte or other keyboard instrumentaccording to the key in which it is desired that the piece of musicshall be performed.

I pivot the action-frame or action-standards on a horizontal pivot ateach end, so that the lower part can be swung or moved back to clear thekeys while the upper part or damper-rail is swung or moved forward toclear the strings. The key-frame with keys can then be slid to one sideor the other as required. The action-frame may suitably be moved bymeans of a pushing-and-pulling rod. By moving this rod in one directionagainst a stop the lower part of the actionframe is pushed back fromover the keyframe, which can then be moved laterally as required fortransposing, by preference by means of a knob in front of the piano orunderneath. The key-frame has to be bedded to the key-bottom and is keptin position by means of slotted brass plates with screws in the backrail and front rail.

Figure l on the accompanying drawings is a front elevation; Fig. 2, asectional end View; Fig. 3, a plan and Fig. at a detail view of asuitable construction of the transposing mechanism and parts connectedtherewith as applied to a piano.

The action-frame is pivoted about centrally in vertical height on ahorizontal pivot A at each end to the sides 13 of the piano-case, sothat the lower part,by means of the push-andpull rod D, can be swungbackward into the dotted position to clear the keys while the upper partor damper-rail is swung forward Serial No. 673,833 (No model.)

to clear the strings. The key-frame O with keys can then be slid to oneside or the other to the required extent. The spring M serves to bringthe action-frame back into the normal vertical position. Theaction-frame A has a comb-shaped plate A and in one of the tooth-spacesof the same the upstanding finger O on the keyframe will be held, whenthe action-frame A, by means of the pushand-pull rod D, has been pulledback into its normalposition (Shownin full lines.) Each tooth-plate inthe plate A corresponds to a different key. The travel of the rod D islimited by the knob D coming against the name board F.

In order to allow the SO-CZtllGL prolongs on the bottom of theaction-frame to clear the keys when the action-frame is swung back, Ichamfer the back or inner ends of the keys N at N to a suitable extent,as shown in Fig. 4c, and black-lead them.

The key-frame C is bedded onto the keybottom G and is kept in positionby means of pins in slots 0 in the back rail and front rail of same, thepins or screws H being fixed in the keyboard-bottom. I is a knob workingin a slot-plate K in lock-front for shifting the key-frame O. Thename-board F is marked with index-lines for the different keys, and thekeyboard has a pointer to indicate the key to which the key-frame isshifted.

I claim 1. In a transposing mechanism for pianofortes and other keyboardinstruments the action-frame mounted on horizontal pivots in combinationwith means for swinging it thereon so that its lower part can be swungback to clear the keys and the upper part be swung forward to clear thestrings, whereupon the key-frame can be shifted laterally to the desiredextent and the action-frame then be returned to its normal positionsubstantially as set forth.

2. In a transposing mechanism the actionframe mounted in horizontalpivots in combination with means for swingingit thereon, keys withchamfered-off back ends to clear the prolongs on the action frame, akeyframe capable of limited lateral movement on the key-bottom and meansfor holding it in the position according to the desired keysubstantially as set forth.

a frame provided with slotted plates, pins on the key-bottom working inthe slots, a knob on the key-frame for moving it, and a plate fixed atthe front of the instrument with slot for limiting the movement of theknob therein substantially as set forth.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my invention I have signed myname in presence of two subscribing Witnesses.

EDMUND HENRY GIGNEY. lVitnesses:

V. JENSEN, WALTER JAMES SKERTEN.

